Character of Jesus 45

The Character of Jesus 45

The Good Shepherd

John 10:1 – 21

Godly Leadership

• Characteristic:  Godly leadership
  • Old Testament prophecies about bad shepherds
    • Ezekiel 34:1 – 6  You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.
    • Jeremiah 50:6 – 7  Their shepherds have led them astray…they have forgotten their resting place
    • Zechariah 11:4 – 17  Feed the flock for slaughter
  • Old Testament prophecies about the shepherding of God and the Messiah
    • Psalm 23, 77:20, 80:1, 95:7
    • Jeremiah 31:10  He who scattered Israel with gather him
    • Ezekiel 34:11 – 31  Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out as a shepherd seeks out his flock
    • Micah 7:14  Shepherd Your people with Your staff
    • Isaiah 40:11  He will feed His flock like a shepherd
  • (1 – 6)  The audience is the same as the end of the scene with the Pharisees and the man born blind (see v 21).  So, the bad shepherds are the Pharisees.  Contrasts:
    • (6)  The audience did not understand the allegory.  Why?
    • (1 – 2)  Jesus was a legitimate leader; the Pharisees were not.  They obtained their position and authority outside of the Law.  God always appointed Israel’s leaders.  Jesus characterized the present leadership as thieves and robbers (Ezekiel 34:1 – 6).  Certainly they used their power to maintain their wealth and position.
    • (3 – 5)  Large crowds followed Jesus voluntarily.  The present leadership was followed out of fear (for example, being cast out of the synagogue), not willingly.
  • (7 – 10)  I am the door
    • (7) “Again.”  John acknowledges that Jesus is hitting the same point again, just with a different allegory.
    • (7, 9)  “Door.”  The safe passage between the sheepfold of God and the outside world.
    • (8)  “Came before Me.”  Previous false Messiahs (examples: Acts 5:33 – 37).  Very few followed them.
    • (10)  Bad leaders profit themselves.  Jesus profited others.
  • (11 – 18)  I am the good shepherd.
    • (11 – 13)  Proper leaders give up themselves, even to death.  Fake leaders protect themselves and abandon the sheep when the going gets tough.
    • (14)  A proper leader knows each follower personally.  A fake leader is aloof.
    • (15 – 18)  A proper leader is always expanding his audience.  A proper leader may appear to be struck down, but will have a great impact.  Dying for others is not losing but winning.
  • (19 – 21)  Apparently, the audience got it the second time through.  Some stayed with theory, some were impressed by the proof.
• Application:  Godly leadership
  • Historically, how have church leaders fared compared to their followers?
    • Can you think of leaders of the past who lived in poverty?
    • How large of a group could someone lead and still know every person well?
    • How does one become a shepherd?
  • Can you think of leaders who made it easy for followers to go in and out of the world safely?  Do we not tend to focus on avoiding the world?
    • Do followers generally avoid bad leaders?
    • How does a leader focus on “abundant” life, rather than meeting minimum requirements?
  • Is it appropriate to suggest that these characteristics of Jesus should be found in modern church leaders?
    • In what way might a modern church leader “take it [his life] up again”?
    • Do followers generally hear the voice of good leaders?
    • Unity appears to be a hallmark of a good leader.
  • Are people divided about the criteria to use for identifying leaders?